Mermaid
by Akira07
Summary: As the Ronin's go an island to relax, the run into an accident and meet a new friend. She is a mermaid and she has a problem: she's in love with Rowen!


Mermaid

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Ronin Warriors!_

Rowen sighed and took off his blue tank top, which was the only shirt he was wearing. The sun was shining like a beacon, causing him to sweat more then he usually did. The sweat hung like shining diamonds on his body, giving his tanned upper body a nice look to it. Growling to himself, he glanced up at Cye. "How much longer is this going to take?"

Cye looked down from the steering wheel and glared back. "Will you guys quit complaining! We'll get there when we get there!" And he didn't say another word.

Rowen shrugged and laid back down in his beach chair, soaking up the sun. They were all headed for a remote island where Cye's mother had a cabin. They all jumped at the idea of going because everything had been so stressful lately. They had borrowed his mother's boat as well and it was extremely comfortable.

Kento had just come up from the small kitchen with a large sub in his hands, overflowing with veggies and meat. Ryo was up at the steering wheel with Cye, giving some company. Sage was lying in another beach chair soaking in the sun.

"Cye, when you said the island was remote, I didn't think it would be _this_ remote!" Kento said as he finished the sub.

Cye rolled his eyes but instead of commenting, he merely glared at the bearer of Hardrock.

"Kento, leave him alone." Sage said with his eyes closed. "We wanted to go so just shut up!"

Kento glared at Sage but then remembered that he was carrying a cup of water in his hands. While the others watched in amusement, Kento crept up to Sage unnoticed and he threw the ice-cold beverage on the bearer of Halo.

"Shit, that's cold!" Sage screamed as he jumped to his feet. The whole boat was laughing and they laughed harder when Sage started chasing Kento around the boat.

Down under the water, farther then any human could go and live, another world was swarming with life. It was a beautiful place, filled with merpeople who lived around the Castle. It was a very happy place and hardly anything bad happened. The King ruled with a mighty but soft hand and he was very kind to the people.

The King had five sons and one daughter. His sons were normal, just like your everyday prince: brave, bold, smart, and handsome. His daughter was all of those things as well, but when the King thought about his daughter, he shuddered.

Amelia was very headstrong and stubborn and very forward. Princesses were not supposed to let a prince or a man know how smart they were, but Amelia didn't see it that way. She figured she should be able to do anything a merman could do and more. Sometimes the King cursed himself for having five sons for they were the only ones she hung out with and her brother's friends. She would race her seahorse with them, have sword fights, and much to the Kings' horror, she wrestled with them.

This simple fact that she didn't act like a princess caused many a fight between father and daughter, and it always caused Amelia to turn to her favorite hobby: studying humans. It was outlawed for the merpeople to go to the surface, talk to humans, let themselves be seen by humans, and collect human things. But Amelia had done it all, except letting a human see her. She had a hovel with so many human things that it was almost full. There was a hole at the top of the cavern where you could almost see to the surface.

In fact this was where she was when she saw something large and dark pass over the surface. Knowing what it must be, she swished her purple tail furiously until she broke the surface. She had to cover eyes for a moment because the sun was shining so brightly. Her long, purple hair was clinging to the sides of her face and head, but she ignored it and swam towards the boat.

It was smaller then most of the boats she saw and it didn't have that many humans either. There were five of them and they were scattered all over the boat. One of them had auburn hair and he was driving the boat. He was wearing a sky blue T-shirt and a pair of shorts. Beside him stood one with slight long black hair and he was wearing nothing but a pair of red shorts.

At the point of the point of the boat, a boy with grayish hair and a yellow headband had his back to the sky and the sun. He was wearing a white tank top and a pair of orange shorts. He was talking to a boy with bright blond hair and he had on a pair of green swimming shorts. On the other side was a blue-haired boy in a pair of cut-off khaki's.

When she saw the blue-haired one she was enchanted. No one in her kingdom had hair that blue. She was so shocked that she stopped swimming for a moment and she didn't even notice until the boat started pulling away from her. She swam towards it again; moving to the side the blue-haired one was on, which was on the left. She grabbed onto a metal bar on the side of the boat so she wouldn't have to swim and lose speed with the boat. Her blue eyes watched them intently and she listened to every word they said.

"I'm gonna die if it gets any hotter." The one with grayish hair said.

The one with black hair smiled. "Well, do you want one of us to throw a cup of water at you like you did to Sage, Kento?"

The gray haired one named Kento glared at the black-haired one. Amelia then wondered if the one named Kento would do anything rash. She had never seen humans fight and she longed to see what one looked like.

"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny, Ryo."

The one with auburn hair smiled and started messing with the boats controls. "If it'll stop your complaining we'll stop and take a quick dip."

Amelia's eyes widened. She was going to get to see humans swim! None of her people had ever seen something like that before. She watched as they all stripped off whatever unnecessary clothing they didn't need. One of them threw an anchor overboard and as they prepared to jump in, Amelia swam lower under the water, right behind a rock.

She thought it was amazing how they swam and often wondered why they didn't have tails. She smiled the whole time, but it quickly disappeared when she noticed that the one with blue hair was coming down almost to where she was. The only thing she could think he was interested in was the coral. He started looking around and just when she thought his attention was on a rather large fish, he came around the rock and came face to face with her.

His eyes widened and they were from her hair and face, to her breasts, and then her tail. Probably without thinking, his jaw dropped and he started taking in water. Noticing what he had done, he headed for the surface, watching her the whole time.

When Rowen broke the surface he still couldn't believe what he had seen. The others hadn't noticed but when they did they came over quickly. "Ro, somethin' wrong, buddy?" Kento asked.

The bearer of Strata stared at them with eyes that were too wide to be normal. "I saw…ma…a mer…mermaid." He stuttered.

The other just looked at him and Cye laid a hand on his shoulder and started to say, "Ro, I don't think-"

"Don't call me crazy because I know what I saw!" He yelled. "And I'll bring her up here to prove it!" And without so much as a word he splashed back under the water with none of the others following.

As he headed back to where he saw her, he knew he had to convince them that he was right. They just thought he was seeing things but he would make them think different. He never lied about anything, not this serious.

He could still see her behind the rock and she gazed at him in confusion. When he was facing her again, he smiled and held out his hand in welcome. She looked confused so Rowen pointed at his hand and then hers. She seemed to understand because she stuck out her hand and he grasped hers, shaking it a few times.

When he let go, he pointed at himself and her, and then at the surface. She looked a little scared but she nodded and swam up beside him. As they headed up, Rowen thought he might ought to tell her to cover up her breasts. He knew Kento and Sage would pass out at that sight alone. When he broke the surface, he heard someone ask, "Well, where's this freak of nature you promised us?" It was Kento and his voice was full of sarcasm.

Rowen smiled at him because he could feel her hiding behind him. It surprised him that she would do such a thing but he guessed that she trusted him a little. He turned and faced her, putting his hands on her shoulders to give her some reassurance, and let her swim in front of him.

Every jaw dropped.

Kento was so shocked that his feet stopped kicking the water and he sunk under for a moment or two. Sage blinked and re-blinked his eyes, trying to make himself think that this was just a figment of his imagination. But when blinking didn't send her away, he just settled for starting at her. Ryo and Cye were busy pinching themselves, thinking that this had to be a dream. Rowen smiled smugly and said, "I told you I wasn't seeing things."

"I'll never doubt you again." Kento said with a dreamy voice.

The mermaid was smiling in amusement as she looked from one boy to the other. She seemed a little shy but it was slowly disappearing. And just when they all thought they had had enough amazement for one day, the mermaid did the most extraordinary thing. "My name is Amelia. What's yours?"

Kento jumped back and yelled, "It talked!"

The mermaid named Amelia laughed. "Of course I can talk! Just because I have a tail doesn't mean I don't understand English!" She said, flipping her tail above the water. The others would have laughed but a crack of thunder caught their attention. They raced for the boat because the waters started to churn. The boat was crashing through the water and as Amelia watched they headed for some rocks off in the distance.

The boat crashed into them with a loud crash and then it blew up. Amelia's eyes widened because she had never seen fire before and it amazed her. But she remembered the old legends about fire: it could hurt you and it could really hurt a human. With horrible thoughts going through her mind, she swam like crazy to where the fire was.

The boat was almost entirely destroyed and she could find the humans. Then she saw something blond and she swam over to it. She pulled away some of the debris and with a shock discovered the blond human. He was bleeding from a place on his head and he was having trouble staying above the water. She grabbed him around the waist and dragged him over to where the others weren't surrounded by the fire. When she got there she noticed that they were yelling for a guy named Rowen. "Who's Rowen?" She asked.

They looked at her funny for a moment before anyone replied. "Rowen's the one with blue hair!" Ryo yelled.

Amelia's eyes widened and she jumped back under water, searching through the remains of the boat. She began to fear the worst when she saw him floating underneath a piece of metal. She grabbed him and drug him to the surface.

She saw that the others were heading in the direction of an island she knew about, now that they knew she had their friend. Rowen never woke up and when she had him safely on the shore he still wasn't awake. She rubbed his cheek with her hand, amazing at how handsome he was. Amelia suddenly pulled her hand away as though she had been stung. _"No, I can't possibly…there's no way I could…"_

She couldn't put it into words, not even in her mind. But when she finally did, she didn't know whether she liked or didn't like the outcome: she was falling in love with a human. She considered leaving him but she just couldn't. Not realizing how tired she was, her eyes started to droop and she laid her head on his chest, falling asleep.

When Rowen woke up the next morning, he couldn't remember what had happened until he felt the pain in his head. Storm. Rocks. Explosion. Nothing. Now. He tried to sit up but discovered something was laying on him. He looked and was totally amazed by what he saw. The mermaid Amelia was asleep on his chest. _She must have saved me,_ he thought. He shook her shoulder and she woke up. "Oh good! "You're awake. I was starting to worry."

He smiled since he didn't know what else to do. He was amazed that she would be worried.

Then something came to him: he liked her. He couldn't believe that he was thinking this but he couldn't help it and there was no other way to describe the feeling he had.

He was about to ask her when he heard his friends calling him. She jumped and crawled back into the water. But just before she went back under she fixed him with her eyes and they started at each other.

And with another yell from his friends she disappeared.

As Amelia headed home a few days later, it felt as though someone had ripped her heart apart. The merpeople knew that when they were away from their soulmates, their hearts would experience pain. But was not so bad when the two were joined together, and Amelia and Rowen were not joined. She realized it was foolish to give her heart to someone she hardly knew but she knew that he was her soulmate, no matter how much she knew him. She sped across the Bottomless Canyon when someone called her name. She looked around but she saw no one. She started to continue on her way when she heard someone call her name again.

"Who's there?" She yelled.

Someone came out immediately; it was a large sea snake. She started to back away when it said, "Do not be afraid; I will not harm you."

"Then what do you want?" She asked suspiciously.

"My massssster told me bring you to hissssss home. He hasss an offer to make you."

Amelia looked at him again. "What kind of offer?"

"He knowsssss about your love for the human; he wissssshesssss to help you be with him. Will you come with me?" He asked.

Amelia didn't know what to say. She knew that this thing must have some other motive but she really wanted to be with Rowen. And she knew she would do anything to be with him. Considering this to herself, she nodded to the snake, "Let's go."

The snake smiled a snaky smile and followed him.

The place he took her to was near the hot springs so it was smoking ceaselessly. There were large rocks and around a large one there was something that looked like rock snake circling it. She gulped a few time but she followed him into the snake's mouth.

The tunnel was slimy and dark and not very welcoming. Every now and then a pair of yellow or red eyes would look at her but when she tried to see what they looked like, they disappeared. Suddenly the tunnel opened widely and she was in a large cavern and it had all kinds of potions ingredients in shelves. There were small couches and chairs and quite a large table and right beside it was a large stone kettle. Large enough to put a merman in.

"Hello, Princess."

She gazed across the room and gasped. A man with green skin was looking at her with yellow eyes and long yellow hair. He was not a merman; that was for certain. He looked like half man, half snake. He came over to her and bowed to her. "Such an honor it is to have you in my home, Your Highness. I hope the trip wasn't too awful?"

She still didn't know what to say and she didn't answer. He looked at her with concern written on his face. "Are you well?" He asked.

She blinked a few times and smiled weakly. His entire body made her feel nauseous and she was grateful that she hadn't eaten yet. "Yes, I'm fine. What did you want to see me for?"

The snake smiled and his tongue flicked out of his mouth for a moment. She gulped again and watched as he went to a table full of assorted ingredients. "I know about your feelings for the human."

Amelia gasped, wondering how he knew this. The question must have been written plainly on her face because he said, "I see everything that happens in the sea. Let's just say this one caught my attention." He started mixing ingredients while he talked to her. "I want to help you because I understand. I loved someone once but I knew I could never be with her because of the way I looked."

His shoulders sagged for a moment. He seemed really upset and she almost went to him but he started talking again. "I want to help you anyway I can." Her eyes looked at him hopefully and he faced her. "I can turn you into a human."

Amelia's face lit up for the first time in hours. She swam to him and said, "Really? How?"

"I have a potion that will turn you into a human for a certain amount of time. The reason for the time limit is that by then you must have made him love you. If he does, you will remain human but if he doesn't you will turn back into a mermaid. If that happens, you must come back here and let me know."

Amelia thought for a moment. She had seen the look in his eyes and she figured she might have a chance. But she knew if he wouldn't love her, her heart would be broken. She looked at him and nodded, "I'll do it."

The snake-man slapped his hands together. "Good. Now the spell lasts for about one month. But there is one more thing."

"What?"

"I require payment."

The Princess thought for a moment, trying to think of what she had to give him. "I have nothing with me."

The snake-man smiled. "Yes, you do. You can give me your voice."

Amelia swam back, not able to comprehend what he was talking about. "But how-"

"It is quite an easy procedure. A simple spell that will not harm you, but it will change the color of your hair. The human must like you for who you are, not what you look like. It's all part of the spell that goes with turning you human."

Amelia wrung her hands together nervously. "Well, if you say so."

He smiled again and mixed something in the kettle, mumbling something under his breath. Green vapor escaped from the kettle and went into her mouth. The snake-man came near her and held his face close to hers. "This is another part of the spell. Do not be afraid." She nodded and watched as he placed his left hand on the small of her back and the other behind her head. Looking at him curiously, he started to kiss her. She didn't know what to do, but the thought of ruining the spell was still in her mind. She felt something going down her throat and she almost gagged when he pulled away from her. When she looked at him she gasped, but no sound escaped her lips.

His tongue was extended and wrapped around something gaseous and purple. His eyes were still on her and he placed the purple gas into a bottle and corked it. He smiled at her and said, "That is quite an interesting color."

She looked at him curiously for a moment but then he gestured at her hair. She grabbed a lock o fit and gasped in surprise. It was so white it almost blinded her! She looked at him and tried to say something but she couldn't.

"Well, at least the spell worked. Now are you ready for the rest?"

She nodded.

He turned back to his table and started mixing potions again. She sat in one of the chairs and watched him work. By the time he was done she was nearly asleep. He tapped her shoulder and she faced him. "This potion will turn you into a human. Now you must swim up to the shore where he is staying and drink it. That's all you have to do."

He handed her the potion and she held it like some priceless jewel. She headed for the doorway and when she faced him to give a farewell, he simply said, "Do not forget our agreement."

She nodded and left.

When she was gone, the snake-man sat back down in a chair and held his head in his hands. The snake that had brought her there came up to his master and curled up on his arm. "Do you think this will work, Massssster?" He asked.

"Of course it will work. I did not plan this from the moment she started exploring the surface for nothing."

Bu the snake continued. "Massssssster Zeta, what do you ssssssee in her that hissssss causssssed you sssssoooo much turmoil?"

Zeta glared at the snake and a hint of softness came to his eyes. "She is worth it." And with that he headed to his bed to sleep.

Amelia swam furiously to the island with the potion in her hands. She prayed that the potion worked but she couldn't help but feel a little mistrustful about using it. The snake-man had been nice enough to let her use it but she couldn't help but wonder why. _Too late to turn back now,_ she thought.

She saw the island and she dragged herself onto the shore far enough to where whoever found her wouldn't get wet feet. Sitting there, she pulled the cork off of the bottle and sniffed the potion. It smelled like something had died and she started to have more second thoughts about drinking it. But when Rowen's face came into her mind's eye, she buckled down, held her nose, and chugged down the whole potion.

At first it felt like something warm was slipping through her body. When it came to her tail it felt like an explosion of fire. Her fin flipped back and forth in pain. IF she had had her voice she would have screamed loud enough for the whole world to hear.

He scales were coming loose and when she wiped some of them away, she noticed underneath there was smooth skin. The fins fell away, revealing human feet. She gasped in surprise when all of her purple scales fell away.

She had human legs.

When the transformation was over, Amelia was exhausted. She laid back and just before her eyes close she saw something white and then nothing.

Kento watched out carefully for his little friend in the kitchen. Finding that he wasn't there, Kento ran into the kitchen and started looking for the candy that he knew Cye had hidden somewhere. This place was horribly running out of food, but Cye had gone and got some more. Unfortunately, Cye had hidden the candy from Kento so he wouldn't eat all of it.

Then he heard something tapping so he turned and looked in the doorway. Rowen was standing there in nothing but a pair of pants, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "Umm…hey, Ro."

Rowen smiled and stayed where he was. "What're you doing, Kento?"

Kento stood up straight with his hands behind his back, trying his best to feign innocence. "Nothin'."

Rowen wasn't buying it. "If your looking for the candy, which I'm sure you are, you're not looking in the right place." Kento looked at him hopefully and his face brightened when the boy said, "It's in the pantry behind the canned peaches."

Rowen smiled as he watched his large friend start to tear apart the pantry. He drank the glass of water in his hand and he went into the living room where he watched life on the beach. It was more peaceful since the storm and he now understood why Cye loved the sea so much. It was so beautiful. He looked down at the shore and his eyes fell on something white. He figured it was a seashell so he ignored it. But something about it compelled his attention so he turned to it again, also due to the fact that White Blaze was sniffing it constantly. It was oddly shaped for a shell, he thought. He looked at it again and gasped in surprise. That was a body!

He dropped the glass he was carrying and dashed outside to where the body was. He couldn't imagine where it had come from but seemed to think that maybe it had to do with the mermaid Amelia. He'd gone from liking her to loving her, and he would've done anything to see her again. When he arrived, he noticed the white thing he had seen was white hair. The girl was unconscious and she didn't have any clothes. He thought it had been Amelia, but remembered that she had had purple hair instead of white. He saw all the purple scales lying around but he had already decided that it wasn't his aquatic friend. He shoved White Blaze aside and leaned down and turned her over. She was very pretty and her face was white, so thinking she was sick, he yelled to the house, "Kento!"

"What?" He yelled from the open window.

"Bring me a blanket! A big one!"

"What for? You thinkin' about getting' a tan?"

Rowen sighed in frustration. "You'll see when you get down here, just do it!" Rowen glared in Kento's direction and watched as the boy went farther into the house to retrieve the blanket.

As Ryo leaned against the wall of one of the guest rooms, he couldn't quite believe what Rowen had brought home. _No, no. Who he brought home._ Now the white-haired girl was lying in a bed, still unconscious. Sage was sitting beside her, healing her little by little. He did that because she was really weak and giving her a large amount could hurt her. They all didn't know what she had been through but it must've been horrible, whatever it was. Kento was downstairs with Cye fixing dinner; they were getting out another late just in case the girl woke up. Ryo was helping Sage, despite the fact there wasn't much he could do, and Rowen…Ryo didn't know what he was doing.

As Sage sat there the girl started to move. Ryo was beside him in a second and they both watched as her eyes opened, revealing the bluest eyes they had ever seen.

They asked her what her name was but when she opened her mouth to say it, no sound escaped. "Can you speak?" Sage asked.

She shook her head and the guys looked at each other, wondering what to do. Sage tugged on Ryo's arm and they both stepped out of the room. "What is it?" Ryo hissed.

"Ryo, we've got to do something. She can't speak and we have to find out where she lives."

Ryo thought for a moment before saying sarcastically, "How 'bout charades?" But Sage actually took him seriously and they both went back into the room. The girl was sitting on the edge of the bed, eyeing them curiously. Sage took a pen and a piece of paper and sat down beside her.

"Can you write?" He asked. She nodded and he handed her the paper and pen and said, "Can you write your name down for me?"

She took the pen and looked at it as if she hadn't seen anything like it. But she held it right and started writing. When she was done, Ryo and Sage looked at it and they couldn't quite figure out what it said. They gave up and they tried to ask her where she was fro, but they couldn't figure out what she was trying to say either. All three of them sighed in frustration and Ryo said, "Let's just quit for now and let's eat."

Sage rose to his feet and they both thought that the girl was right behind them. But when they turned to close the door they discovered that she was still sitting on the bed. "Hey, c'mon. It's time to eat." Ryo said. "Aren't you hungry?"

The girl nodded furiously and she tried to stand on her feet but as soon as she put weight on them she fell flat on her face. She sat up and tears were flowing from her eyes, both from humiliation and from the pain.

Ryo went over to her and asked, "Can't you walk?"

When she shook her head with a troubled expression, Ryo and Sage looked at each other inquisitively. Without asking, Sage picked her up and started out the door and downstairs.

As everyone went about their chores in the house, Rowen sat in the library, fiddling with a piece of paper. He couldn't get the mermaid Amelia out of his mind. So he had sat there drawing a picture of her. On one side of the paper he had drawn her as he had seen her in the ocean: long hair, strong tail, bare-breasted, and the most curious but gorgeous eyes. On the other side he had let his imagination run wild and he had drawn a picture of what she would look like if she were human. He'd kept her hair long and her upper body the same shape, but he had drawn her long, strong, slender legs. And since he wasn't very good at drawing clothes, he had drawn a bikini for her.

He had long since finished with the drawing and now he just stared at it, changing the sides at one time or another. And he would've stayed there all night had not Ryo peeked inside and told him it was time for dinner. He hadn't know how hungry he was until that very moment and raced downstairs.

In the kitchen Cye was feverishly putting the finishing touches on the food he had prepared while Kento was restraining himself and taking it, plate by plate, into the dining room.

The bearer of Strata had already sat down in his usually seat ever since that fateful day when they had arrived, when he noticed that there was an extra seat. Just when he was about to ask Kento whom it was for, Sage walked into the room with the white-haired girl in his arms. "Why are you carrying her?"

"Because she can't walk, baka." Sage said with obvious aggravation. He sat the girl down in the seat across from Rowen and then he took the seat on her right.

"Geez, who put ant in your pants?" Rowen asked, crossing his arms in mild anger. It was rare when Rowen and Sage had a disagreement but when it did happen it was like WWIII. Sage sighed and said he was sorry, that he was a little worn-out. Rowen just smiled and waited while Kento and Cye brought out the rest of the food.

As soon as the food was down five famished boys attacked it. The girl on the other hand, could only watch. She acted like she didn't know what to do. When she glanced at Sage beside her, he just smiled and waved his fork at her encouragingly. The girl looked at it and then she glanced at her own utensils. She picked up the fork and watched the others eat. She watched Sage use his fork to eat his hamburger steak and then she used it to eat her own.

Cye was watching all of this and leaned closer to Kento and told him to watch her. When he did he whispered to Cye, "What's up with her? She acts like she doesn't know how to use them."

Cye was still watching and he mumbled to himself, "Maybe she doesn't."

In any case she was able to make out until dinner was over.

Amelia thought she had made quite a fool of herself. She didn't know everything about humans and it was apparent she didn't know anything about their eating habits. The utensils looked much like the ones at the Castle, but she hadn't been sure until she had seen the one named Sage use them.

They had all introduced themselves to her, despite the fact that she could not do the same. She had tried writing in her own hand, but evidently they couldn't read the merpeople script. She could read English but it was too maddening to try and write it. And she couldn't talk to them and tell them her name, so what was she going to do? She also figured it was a little bizarre to them that she couldn't speak and that she could barely walk. When dinner was over, Cye and Kento had to wash the dishes, but Kento ran away into the living room to play something he called a video game.

So that left Ryo and Cye to do them instead. Sage was busy clearing off the table and that left Rowen to ferry the girl around.

He took her into the living room where they could watch TV. She seemed a little shocked by the TV and he and Kento couldn't figure out why. Kento flipped the channel and came across some TV show with a white haired angel in it. Rowen put two and two together and he looked at the girl. "Angel." He said.

The girl looked at him questioningly and so did Kento. "What's that, Ro?" Kento asked.

"Let's call her Angel. It seems to fit her with that white hair." He turned to the girl and asked her what she thought. She smiled and nodded, giving him a thumbs up. The others came into the room and Rowen told them the name he had come up with, thanks to that show he had seen. Cye and Sage liked it and Ryo didn't really understand how the name clicked with her.

It took some explaining, but Rowen had finally made them understand by the time to go to bed.

After about two weeks, the girl known as Angel seemed to have gained her legs back. Angel seemed astounded at every little thing they showed her and it was some kind of refreshment to see someone take so much interest in something so simple, like the kitchen sink for instance. When she had the spout and the water coming out of it, she nearly freaked out. It was also the same for the bathtub. None of them had the courage to try and help her, even though Rowen had already seen her naked once before. And when they tried to coax her into a bathing suit so they could show her how to work it. She hadn't known how to put it on. Cye, though horribly humiliated, showed her by almost putting it on himself. Only then did she understand.

She didn't seem to know too much and the guys loved teaching her things. Ryo and White Blaze were teaching her to ride him, which was a job all in itself. But she had obviously done some riding in her time so it didn't take her too long to gain some strength in her legs. Ryo also took her on hikes and showed her the local plant life, along with the wildlife.

Kento also did this but he also showed her different types of rocks and flowers.

Cye was teaching her how to cook. She learned quickly enough but they would never forget when she had started a fire just by trying to fry some eggs. Cye hadn't been in the room at the time and she rushed into the living room where Kento and Sage were. She had waved her arms and pointed at the kitchen. They didn't understand so she grabbed them both by the arm and drug them into the kitchen and by then a small portion of the wall had started to burn. Kento got the fire extinguisher and put it out. No one blamed her; they just figured that she had panicked and that she didn't know how to put it out.

Cye stayed with her from that point on whenever she felt like cooking.

Sage was teaching her the art of combat, but he soon discovered that she had obviously dad some earlier training. He hadn't seen that kind of swordplay before, so he simply started teaching her his own type of swordplay. This subject happened to be her strong point and she learned fairly swiftly. "I've never seen anyone learn so fast!" He exclaimed one day.

And Rowen, he did what he knew best: he taught her thins he knew out of books. All the subjects he showed her, from engineering to space technology, fascinated her to no bounds. Rowen would have thought someone like her would've been tired of it by now, but she kept begging for more, in her own quiet way.

They asked her again and again why she couldn't speak and every time she tried to explain, through charades, the guys were totally at a loss. So to put it all together, Angel loved to learn yet her past life was a mystery.

Amelia couldn't help but feel happy and a little discouraged. The humans were treating her very well, but every time she tried to let slip her feelings to Rowen, he didn't seem to notice. And she knew if she didn't hurry, her one-month as a human would soon be up. If she had to go back, her heart would be broken.

One day, after many tries of trying to get Rowen's interest, she went down to the beach. She sat there for a few hours, staring at the waves and the seagulls, wondering what she was going to do next. She had tried everything, but nothing seemed to be effective. She would have started weeping had not someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned and she saw Cye and Kento. "Angel, you ok?" Kento asked as he sat down beside her.

She shook her head no and both boys glanced at each other. Cye placed a hand on her shoulder and asked, "I bet it's about Ro, isn't it?"

Amelia hadn't known what to say. Was it so clear to them and not so obvious to Rowen how much she liked him? The question must have been plainly written on her face because both of the boys laughed. "You don't know how noticeable it is that you like him, do you?" Kento asked merrily.

She shook her head and the boy laughed again. She seemed a little hurt and when Kento noticed this, his face became somber. "I'm sorry, Angel. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Then he placed his hand on her shoulder again. "But we're right, aren't we? You like Rowen?"

She nodded. "Do you love him?" Cye persisted.

She nodded again. The boys smiled at each other and stood up, helping her get up. Both placed reassuring arms around her waist as they headed back to the house and Kento replied, "Don't worry. We'll handle Ro."

All Amelia could do was smile.

When Cye, Kento, and Angel returned to the house, the boys had a little powwow in Sage's room while Rowen was outside, brooding over the mermaid. They told Ryo and Sage what they had learned and neither of them could figure out why Rowen was so oblivious to her. They decided that one of them had to talk to him, but they had to figure out who.

"Why don't you do it, Ryo?" Kento said. "You know him better then we do. At least some of us anyway." He mumbled.

Ryo nodded and headed outside where he saw Rowen looking out at the sea. No matter how many times they told him that the mermaid wasn't coming back, the further he waited for her. It was ruining his vacation and theirs. Ryo had seen his pictures of the mermaid and he thought they looked oddly familiar, like he had seen her once somewhere but he wasn't sure where he might've seen her. He came up behind Rowen and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ro, why don't you come back to the house?" He asked calmly.

Rowen merely replied, "That's okay. I'll just stay out here a little longer; Amelia might come back."

Finally, Ryo reached the end of his patience. He grabbed his friend by the shoulders, spun him around and shook him. "Dammit, Rowen! How many times am I gonna have to tell you that she's not coming back!"

"But we like-"

"I don't care how much you liked each other AND I don't care if she saved your life! If she cared for you at all she would've come back by now!"

The truth of Ryo's words hit home and Rowen shriveled in front of him. "I know, Ryo. But she was like a dream come true. How am I supposed to go on?"

Ryo thought about the question and could only think of one answer. "Rowen, I wouldn't put a dream girl up against one of flesh and blood. One warm and caring, and right before your eyes." He gestured up at the house and standing out on her balcony and gazing out at the sea, was Angel.

When Rowen went back to the house he still remembered Ryo's words. He knew that Ryo was right but…he had just hoped that she would've come back. But now he guessed it was time to move on. Now that he thought about it, he really did like Angel and from time to time he had wondered what a relationship with her would be like. She had this captivating way about her that Rowen was interested to know what it meant. Usually when he had a problem he went to her sometimes. She always listened to him good-naturedly and even though she couldn't give him an answer, she tried her best to help him by always being there. And one time, just to make her feel better, he had planted a soft kiss on her lips. Both of their faces had turned red and Rowen had to admit that it had been gratifying.

She was still out on the balcony when he knocked on the door to her room and she presented him with a sweet smile that he could swear she saved for him. She invited him in and he sat down in a nearby chair. She fixed him with a stare that said, "What do you want to tell me?"

Rowen wrung his hands together, not believing how tense he was. Could he possibly love her? When he looked into her deep blue eyes, eyes he could swear he had seen somewhere before, he knew he could. And he did.

"Angel, I know I've been horrible to you in the past and I'd like to ask for forgiveness for that." She moved closer to him and rubbed his shoulder, telling him that it was ok.

"And I know you like me and…I like you, too." Her eyes lit up for the first time in days and he could tell that Ryo and the others had been right about her love for him. "In fact, I think…no…I know…that I love you."

Angel's eyes were overflowing with tears and she hugged him tightly and her eyes told him, "I love you."

And he gazed into her eyes and held her face with one hand, and he thought he recognized those eyes. But that mermaid was part of the past; all he lived for was Angel now. With that thought planted steadfastly in his mind, Rowen kissed her and held her all night.

Zeta cursed and threw his crystal ball across the room where it met the wall, shattering into a million pieces. "Dam it! They're actually falling in love! It wasn't supposed to work this way!"

The sea snake was rolled up in a corner; far from the wrath of his master should it be turned to him. "What will you do Masssssster?" He asked.

Zeta didn't say anything but started mixing potions. He did this for hours before he was finished and then he held the bottle with Amelia's voice in it. Zeta smiled to the snake and drunk the potion. What the snake watched was astonishing.

His master turned into Amelia's exact double, including her purple hair. Then he took a seashell and emptied the bottle into the shell. When he put it around his neck, he spoke in Amelia's voice, "I will have her. Just you watch and see." And with that he swam to the surface, towards the island.

A few days later, Rowen and Angel were walking down the beach on a date. The others had been delighted that Rowen had finally gotten together with Angel. And they hadn't seen Angel in such high spirits either.

While they walked down the beach, Rowen had his fingers intertwined with hers. He looked ahead and gasped at what he saw. A girl with purple hair! He quickly forgot about Angel and he rushed forward, leaving Angel upset and bewildered. The girl up ahead held her arms open and Rowen fell into them, rubbing her hand and hugging her tightly. He yelled for the guys, who came running down the path.

Much like the first time they'd seen her, Sage's jaw dropped and Ryo and Cye started pinching themselves again. Kento didn't seem so stunned like he had before but instead he gave a fleeting look at his white-haired friend who had tears running down her face. And he knew if she had her voice she would be screaming in agony.

Rowen came over to them with his hand in the girl's hand and he said sarcastically at the boys, "I told you Amelia would come back."

At that moment Angel turned and ran away; not to the house, but along the beach. She didn't stop, not even when she was out of sight. All of the guys glared at Rowen, who had just realized what it was that he had done. No one said anything at first, but then Cye walked towards Amelia. "How come you're human? I don't ever recall you mentioning the fact that you could do that."

The girl Amelia looked baffled and she didn't know what to say. Kento and Cye jumped at this. "So that means you're not Amelia?"

"Of course I'm Amelia. I have her voice, don't I?"

Everyone noticed the slip this girl had just made. Rowen stepped away from her and started to look suspicious. The girl finally gave up trying to hide anything and she started to shine. When it had faded, a half man, half snake, had appeared in her place. All five of the boys leapt back. "What the hell is that thing!" Kento practically shrieked.

The snake man looked at them in a disgusted manner and hissed, "My name is Zeta and that's all you need to know. Right now I must claim what is mine."

"And just what would that be?" Ryo asked.

"I should think it would be simple, scrawny human. I am here to make Amelia, the Princess of the Undersea Kingdom, mine."

The boys looked at each other and laughed. "Well, your not gonna find her here." Kento said in mock superiority. "She's out in the middle of the ocean somewhere."

That's when Zeta laughed. He crossed his arms and fingered the clamshell around his neck. "You humans are so dimwitted it scares me. Haven't any of you figured out your friends' secret?"

"You mean Angel?" Sage asked.

Zeta huffed. "The one you call Angel is really Amelia. And by the time the sun sets, her one-month time limit will be over and she will turn back into a mermaid. And then she will belong to me."

The guys looked at each other in total surprise. Was their friend really the one that had helped save Rowen's life and even Sage's? Had she come back because of their blue-haired friend? They would never know unless they asked her. The boys gazed at the sun, which had just started to set. Realizing that they still had some time they ran in the direction Angel had gone.

Amelia had finally stopped running when she saw the rocks on the beach. She found one to sit on and she started to let her racing heart calm down. Amelia couldn't believe what she had seen: an exact double of herself! Who would want to impersonate her?

But then she remembered the snake man. She didn't know why but she knew it had to be him. But as long as he looked like her Rowen was lost to her. He would fall in love with her double and then she would turn back into a mermaid and she would have to live back in the ocean.

As she watched the sun set the guys came rushing towards her. She wondered what was going on when they started saying that they knew about the snake man, who called himself Zeta, and that they knew about his plan.

Rowen came forward, not knowing how he was going to explain his actions. But she simply smiled and he knew in some way she understood. He held her to him, his face covered in tears, when he heard sarcastic laughter.

Everyone turned and Zeta was standing there. But it didn't look like him.

He had grown slightly in size and his neck was flat and flared out. The skin on his face was tighter and everything on the side of his face was flattened out as well. His muscles flared out more and his fangs were extended. The guys thought he resembled a large cobra. The moment they saw him they put on their undergear.

He lunged at them and they jumped to the side, Rowen holding Angel in his arms. He set her down behind some rocks and then he went to help the others.

Zeta had Sage trapped in the coils of his tail. Cye and Ryo were desperately trying to free him b kicking and punching his tail while Kento was taking on the body of the monster. Rowen went to help Kento, who had gotten himself into a fix by letting Zeta pick him up. Zeta was about to sink his teeth into Kento's shoulder when Rowen tackled him from the side.

Kento landed gracefully on his feet. "Thanks, Ro!" he said, running to join his friend. The battle was dragging on and the guys were starting to get impatient.

"Enough of this!" Ryo cried. "To arms, guys!"

The beach was engulfed in light and sakura petals. When the light subsided, Amelia was amazed to see them in old samurai armor. Her people had battle armor that similar, but it didn't feel this magical. Ryo pulled out his swords and started hacking them on Zeta, but his scales were strong and didn't quite give in. Sage also used his sword against the monsters scales, but it just bounced off. Cye and Kento were battling the head, Cye pinning his arms down with the yari and Kento slashing at him with the blade of his naginata. Rowen shot arrow after arrow at Zeta, but they didn't faze him one little bit.

Amelia wished that there was something she could do, but she would just be in the way. If only she had her voice! That's when she saw the clamshell around Zeta's throat. It had a purple tint to it and she just knew that her voice was in it. She jumped up from behind the rock, waved her arms, and got Sage's attention. She pointed to her neck, making it look like she was pulling at something. When he did the same, and nodding that he understood, he went and swung his sword at the necklace, breaking the chain.

Kento rolled and picked it up as he went, and gave it back to Angel. He watched as she opened it and something purple floated out of it and down into Angel's throat. "Angel, are you ok?" He asked, laying an armored hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Of course I'm ok."

Kento's jaw dropped. "You can talk!"

"Yes, I made a deal with Zeta and he took my voice as payment. It's also the reason my hair is white. But now that I've got my voice back I think you can kill him."

Kento was still dazed that she could talk but once he regained his senses, he jumped back into the battle, telling the others his news. Some of them glanced askance at her but went back to fighting. What Angel had said was true; now that she had her voice back Zeta started getting hurt. Rowen let loose an arrow and it struck the cobra man right in the heart. He staggered a moment and when he looked up Ryo took his swords and cut his head off.

Everyone looked at each other, trying to comprehend that it was really over. That's when Kento said, "That was fun. Now let's go back to the house for a pina colada."

The guys and Angel started laughing.

After they had gone back home Amelia told them everything; about when she first found them, her confusion about Rowen, the spell that had been cast on her, and then everything that had just happened. They couldn't quite believe it at first, but when she didn't find it funny, they gave in. "So what's gonna happen to you know?" Ryo asked.

Amelia sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Since the spell required Rowen to fall in love with me before my one time as human was up, I guess I'll be human forever." Again she sighed and looked at her hair. "I don't understand why my hair is still white, but I kinda like it now."

The others smiled at her; thankful that she was at last happy and not so stressed out anymore. They all knew she would miss her other home and her family, but as long as she was happy they weren't going to say anything.

They planned on heading back home in a couple of days, and they were not looking forward to the explanations they were going to have to give everyone. But that was just one of the drawbacks of being a newly made human. They told Amelia some of the things she was going to have to say, and she totally understood.

And as obvious as it sounds, everything turned out all right. For everyone.


End file.
